Conventional locking differentials operate to automatically disengage an overrunning output shaft from a drive mechanism. The conventional locking differentials include a center cam for disengaging the overrunning output shaft and includes rings, commonly referred to as holdout rings, for maintaining the output shaft in a disengaged state as long as the overrun condition persists. In addition, the conventional locking differentials includes a spacer located between adjacent ends of co-axial output shafts to resist the axial forces which tend to displace the output shafts towards each other. Several types of conventional locking differentials are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,158 to Dissett et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,818 to Choma et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,818 to Edwards et al.; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,572 to Valente.